Method and means for sealing pavement grooves



June 13, 1967 A. F. cRoNE 3,324,775

METHOD AND MEANS FOR SEALING PAVEMENT GROOVES Filed April 22, 196.3 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 13, 1967 A. F. CRONE 3,324,775

METHOD AND MEANS FOR SEALING PAVEMENT GROOVES Filed April 22, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR,

v ATTORNEYS.

A. F. CRONE June 13, 1967 METHOD AND MEANS FOR SEALING PAVEMENT GROOVES 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed April 22, 1963 ATTORNEYS.

A. F. GRONE June 13, 1967 METHOD AND MEANS FOR SEALING PAVEMENT GROOVES 5 Sheets-Sheet Filed April 22, 1963 INVENTOK,

5 Sheets-Sheet A. F. CFZONE METHOD AND MEANS FOR SEALING PAVEMENT GBOOVE- ,ww \WMW wmm WW June 13, 1536? Filed April 22, 1963 kw mm United States Patent 3,324,775 METHOD AND MEANS FOR SEALING PAVEMENT GRQOVES Alfred F. Crone, Williamsviiie, N.Y., assigns: to Acme Highway lroducts Corporation, Buifalo, N.Y. Filed Apr. 22, 1963, Ser. No. 274,661 Claims. (Cl. 94-22) This invention relates to methods and means for sealing grooves in pavements.

Grooves are provided in pavements at intervals lengthwise thereof between pavement slabs to take care of expansion and contraction of the material of which the pavement is made. Grooves are also provided in pavements which are more than one lane in width, in which case the grooves are formed lengthwise of the pavement between adjacent lanes. These grooves must be sealed to prevent Water and other liquids and solid materials from passing into the grooves, and in some cases from passing through the grooves under the pavement. The preferred means for sealing these grooves is by means of hollow, elastomer strips which can be compressed when the groove is contracted, due to expansion of the pavement and which will also expand to continue to seal the groove when the same is explained.

It is one object of this invention to provide a method and means for facilitating the insertion of elastomeric strips into pavements to seal grooves in the same.

Another object is to facilitate the installing of seals in pavements by first contracting the seals by exhausting air from the interior thereof, and then expanding the same into their normal Widths.

further object is to facilitate handling of hollow seals from the interior of which the air is exhausted to contract the width of the seals so that they can be readily flexed and installed and then to admit air to the seals for enabling the same to take their normal positions.

It is also an object of this invention to install deflated seals in concrete road material while the same is in plastic condition, and later to expand these seals by admitting air into them to seal grooves in the pavement.

A further object is to facilitate the correct installing of the seal in a pavement with the top edge thereof slightly below the surface of the pavement, by placing a removable cap on the seal which can extend flush with the pavement surface and which extends above the seal sufiiciently so that when removed the top of the seal will be located at the correct distance below the pavement surface.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a transverse, sectional view on a part of a pavement having a joint support arranged in the pavement and having a seal embodying this invention mounted thereon.

FIG. 2 is a transverse section of a seal when in normal position.

FIG. 3 is a similar transverse section of a seal when deflated.

FIG. 4 is an elevation, partly in section, on line 4-4, FIG. 1 of the construction shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the seal removed from the joint support.

FIG. 6 is a sectional elevation on a reduced scale of the joint support shown in FIG. 1, showing the ends of the deflated seal extending upwardly in position to be placed down at the edges of the pavement.

Patented June 13, 1967 FIG. 7 is a similar view showing the ends of the seal positioned to extend downwardly at the sides of the pavement strip.

FIG. 8 is a similar view showing the ends of these strips in correct position and showing the seal with the rigid cap strip removed therefrom.

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary, sectional view on an enlarged scale in line 9-9, FIG. 7.

FIG. 10 is an enlarged, fragmentary section on line 10-10, FIG. 8.

FIG. 11 is a section of a pavement having a seal embodying this invention arranged in a groove of the pavement.

FIG. 12 is a section of the seal employed in FIG. 11 after air has been admitted to the interior thereof.

FIG. 13 is a similar view of the seal when air is exhausted from the same.

FIG. 14 shows a length of the seal formed into a roll to facilitate transportation and handling.

FIG. 15 is a section of the longitudinal groove in a highway showing the manner of connecting two ends of adjoining sealing strips.

FIG. 16 shows means for alining the two adjacent ends of the seal.

FIG. 17 shows a seal pressed downwardly into a groove.

FIG. 18 is a top plan view of the seal shown in FIG. 17.

My improved seal is an extended, elastomeric composition provided with air passages or channels extending lengthwise of the seal. This seal may be of different shapes, that shown in FIGS. 1-10 having side walls 20, a top wall 21 which is recessed or of shallow, V-s-hape, and inclined bottom walls 22 extending upwardly toward the longitudinal center of the seal. The walls 20 and 27 which extend substantially parallel vertically to the walls of the groove are not materially changed in dimensions, so that only the width of the seal is changed by inflation or deflation of the seal, the height remaining the same. The particular seal shown in FIGS. 1-3 is provided with a central, upwardly extending groove 24 which enables the seal to straddle a metal supporting member 25. The seal is also provided with internal ribs or webs 28 which extend diagonally and which are formed integral with the sides of the seal and with the walls 27 which constitute a longitudinally divided central web and are intended to be secured to the supporting member 25 which may be provided to hold the seal in the desired position. These diagonally extending webs extend alternately in opposite directions and form between them air spaces 30 which may be of triangular cross section. These diagonal webs also form triangular air spaces 31 between the webs and the upper wall 21, and similar triangular air spaces 32 are formed between the lower webs 28 and the bottom walls 22 of the seal. It will be readily seen by comparing FIG. 2 with FIG. 3 that when the air is exhausted out of these air spaces of the seal, the diagonal webs will fold themselves within the triangular spaces so as to greatly reduce the width of the seal. When air is admitted into the seal, then the diagonal webs, because of their resilience, will assume their original positions in which they push the side walls outwardly into their original positions. The seal will then return to the cross sectional shape shown in FIG. 2. The upper and lower walls 21 and 22 cooperate with the diagonals to force the side walls of the seal outwardly. It will also be noted that when the air is evacuated from the seal there is substantially no difference in the vertical dimension of the seal. Consequentl when the deflated seal i installed in a highway, then when air is admitted to the seal the top wall will not move to a higher elevation then when deflated. This is due to the fact that the upper wall 21, when the seal is deflated or compressed, is free to enter into the air spaces 31 shown in FIG. 3. This is an important feature since the seal when installed in a highway should be located below the upper surface of the same and no parts thereof should extend above the surface of the highway whereby the seal might be cut by plows or other highway devices used in clearing the highway, or damaged by heavy vehicles passing over the same.

The seal shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 is very similar to the one shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 except that in FIGS. 12 and 13 it does not have a central groove 24 which receives the supporting member 25. This seal is particularly adapted to be placed in grooves in the pavement, such as grooves for example that extend lengthwise of the pavement between two lanes thereof, in which case the seal is inserted into the groove which has been formed by cutting or otherwise. This seal has side walls 40, top and bottom Walls 41 and 42 and is provided with diagonally extending ribs 43 and 44 extending in opposite directions, and a central web 45. As a result of this construction there are formed triangular air passages 47, 48 and 49 at opposite sides of the control web 45, and it will be noted by referring to FIG. 13 that the diagonal webs 43 and 44 when the seal is compressed, by evacuating air therefrom, or by expansion of the pavement, fit into the triangular spaces in the seal. The bot-tom wall 42 is also folded upwardly to occupy part of the lower passage 47. While the seal is primarily intended for use in longitudinal pavement joints, it can of course also be used in transverse grooves formed in the pavement.

There are many uses to which this seal can be put by first exhausting air from the interior thereof. This deflating of the seal greatly reduces the width of the same so that it can be very easily inserted into a pavement. If the pavement has grooves formed therein, the narrow seal can be easily inserted into a groove of normal size without requiring pressure or vibration on the same to force it into the groove. It will also be noted in referring to FIG. 14 that the seal, because of its reduced Width, can be rolled lengthwise into a coil 53 as shown in FIG. 14, which, because of its compact form can be more readily transported and stored. The removal of air from the interior of the seal may be elfected in any usual or suitable manner, for example, by means of pumps, or one edge of the seal is first closed in any suitable manner and the seal can be passed lengthwise between two pressure rollers which force the air out of the seal. The other end of the seal can be similarly closed in any wall known manner so that the seal will remain in deflated condition for as long as desired.

When the seal is inserted into a preformed groove in the pavement, as shown in FIG. 11, the width of the seal when expanded without being confined in a groove, must always be greater than the maximum width of the groove, so that when confined in a groove the seal walls will press against the walls of the groove and thus form liquid-tight contact with the groove walls. However, if desired, the opposite walls 55 of the groove may be coated with a suitable adhesive which securely cements the opposite side walls of the seal to the side walls of the groove. Consequently, when contraction of the slabs of pavement materially widens the groove, the side walls of the seal will very positively adhere to the side walls of the groove, not only by expansion of the seal due to its resilience but also due to the pulling of the side walls of the seal outwardly due to adhesion of the seal sides to the groove walls.

Since it is desirable to position the seal in trans-.

verse grooves with the upper end thereof slightly below the surface on the highway, I have provided a removable cap formed to fit over the top of the seal. This cap 60 is of inverted U-shape and is made of rigid material such, for example, as metal or of a hard, plastic composition, and is formed to cover the upper part of the seal, as shown. The cap is also preferably provided with upwardly extending ribs 61 and .this cap is so proportioned that when it rests on the top of the seal, the seal will be correctly located if the ribs 61 are flush with the surface of the highway. In finishing the concrete of the highway, the top surface of the same may be leveled with the upper edges of the ribs 61, as shown, whereupon the cap is removed, leaving the seal below it in the correct relation to the surface of the pavement. After the cap has been removed the seal will then expand into the space formerly occupied by the cap, FIG. 10, and the edges of the highway slabs at opposite sides of the groove may be manually rounded as shown at 62, to reduce the chance of spalling of the pavement at these edges. However, since the ribs 61 extend to the upper surface of the pavement, the cap can be pulled upwardly out of the pavement without breaking the edges of the pavement slabs at the edges of the groove.

When the seal is applied crosswise of the highway it is of course also desirable to seal the side edges of the pavement lane across which the seal extends, and when using deflated seals as described, this can be readily effected because of the flexibility of the deflated seal, which permits it to be bent crosswise as well as lengthwise.

In FIGS. 6-8 I have shown how the seal at the edges of the highway lane may be formed to extend along the edges of the lane. In the lane in the construction shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, concrete is poured between two forms 65 of usual construction and the seal is made of suflicient length so that the two ends 66 of the same extend beyond the edges of the pavement lane .to a length approximately equal to the depth or thickness of the lane. Initially the ends 66 of the seal will consequently extend upwardly above the form 65, as shown in FIG. 6. These ends may then be bent or flexed to extend downwardly adjacent to the form 65. For example, the end 66 of the seal may be grasped between gripping devices similar to pliers having jaws and turned through approximately degrees so that the ends of the seal will extend downwardly from the top of the pavement lane along the sides of the forms 65, whereupon the jaws of the pliers or gripping device may release the seal ends and then be drawn upwardly, thus leaving the ends of the seal extending downwardly across the side edges of the lane. When the seal, including the ends, is thus in final position and the forms 65 removed, the cap 60 is then removed from the seal and the closed ends of the seal may be punctured or cut in any desired manner to admit air into the same so that the seal can expand into the position shown in FIG. 8. The positioning of the seal ends in this manner forms grooves in the side edges of the pavement lane which are continuations of the groove in the upper surface of the pavement. In this position of the seal, the main or body portion of the seal prevents liquids or other foreign material from entering the groove on top of the highway, and the downwardly extending ends of the seal prevent liquids or other material from entering the grooves formed at the side edges of the pavement lane.

In the construction shown in FIGS. 110, the seal is mounted on a supporting member 25 which is in the form of a longitudinal strip of sheet metal, the upper portion of which extends into the slot 24 of the seal. This strip provides rigidity to the seal so that it can be more easily handled, and this supporting strip may be mounted on the center plate 70 of a highway joint in any suitable manner, for example, by means of spring clamps 71 having parts which grasp the upper portion of the center plate 70, other parts which grasp the lower portion of the supporting strip. The center plate may be mounted on any usual joint supports including .two slabs 73 and 74 of a concrete highway. These joint supports are to the top edges of the ribs 61. The edges of the groove may be rounded or edged as shown at 62, FIG. 10 if desired. After the concrete has hardened the cap 60 may then be removed from the seal, whereupon air may be admitted to the seal.

Other means of course may be provided for mounting the seal on the center plate. For example, a groove-forming member may be mounted on the center plate to extend into close proximity to the upper surface of the pavement and after the concrete has become slightly set, this groove-forming member may be pulled upwardly out of the pavement, thus forming a groove, whereupon the seal with its supporting member 25 may be positioned on the center plate, for example, with the aid of the clamps 71.

The seal as has been described may be positioned in ready-formed grooves in .the pavement, extending either crosswise of the pavement or lengthwise between two lanes of the pavement.

FIGS. -18 show the seal as it may be applied to a groove 80 extending lengthwise of the highway between two lanes. Long lengths 81 and 82 of the seal from which air has been evacuated may be installed in the groove 80 and positioned in the desired relation to the upper surfaces thereof in any manner, for example, by means of a suitable gage. When the seal is not of suificient length to fill a groove, a splice can be made between two adjacent ends of seals. As shown in FIG. 15, these ends 83 of the seal are brought upwardly out of the groove and may then be joined in any desired manner. The ends 83 of the seal may be cut to admit air into both lengths of the seal. Short strips of a plastic material or other rigid material 85 may be fitted into the longitudinal spaces 87 of both ends of the seal so as to hold the two ends in correct alinement, whereupon the joint between the ends of the seals may be tightly closed to prevent water or other foreign material from entering the seal. The ends of the seal are then pressed into the groove 80. as shown in FIGS. 17 and 18.

It will be understood that various changes in the details, materials and arrangements of parts which have been herein described and illustrated in order to explain the nature of the invention may be made by those skilled in the art within the principle and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A method of positioning a hollow elastomeric sealing strip in a pavement, comprising the steps of deflating the strip by removing air from the interior thereof,

positioning the strip in the pavement while the paving material is in fluid condition,

permitting the paving material to harden and then admitting air to the interior of the sealing strip after the paving material has hardened to expand the strip laterally due to the inherent resilience of the material of the strip.

2. A method according to claim 1 and including the steps of positioning a rigid cap of substantially inverted U-shaped cross section lengthwise on the upper edge of said deflated sealing strip to straddle the same and maintaining said cap on said seal while said seal is being positioned in the pavement,

and removing said cap before air is admitted to said seal strip.

3. A sealing strip for use in a pavement groove, said strip being of elastomeric material and having an air passage extending lengthwise of said strip, and having a substantially fiat ribs,

said strip having side walls extending vertically substantially parallel to the walls of the groove and a top wall extending downwardly into said air passage and being defiatable by removing said air from said passages to decrease the width of the strip when inserted into a pavement, without changing its height,

said strip being expandable by its own resilience when air is admitted into the same to seal a groove in the pavement by urging said sides of the sealing strip against the sides of the groove.

4. A method of positioning hollow elastomeric sealing strips end to end in a pavement groove, comprising the steps of sealing said strips to exclude air therefrom,

removing air from said strips,

then positioning the strips end to end in the groove with their ends extending above the surface or" the groove,

then admitting air to said strips to expand the same by their own resilience,

positioning said ends into alinement and abutting relation to each other,

sealing said ends to exclude water and other foreign material,

and then positioning said ends in the groove.

5. A method according to claim 4 and including the step of inserting a rigid strip of material into the end portions of said hollow seals to aline them.

6. A sealing strip for use in a pavement groove,

said strip being of elastomeric material and having air passages extending lengthwise in the strip,

said strip being deflatable by removing air from said air passages to decrease the width of the strip for insertion into a pavement groove,

said strip having substantially flat sides,

an internal structure of elastomeric material including a central web,

and ribs of elastomeric material extending diagonally in opposite directions from the central web to said sides,

some of said ribs extending diagonally upwardly from said central web and terminating at their upper ends in said side walls,

and other ribs extending diagonally downward from said central web and terminating at their lower ends in said walls,

said downwardly extending ribs acting through said side walls and opposing downward movement of said sealing strip in a groove when said strip has been expanded by the admission of air thereinto.

7. A sealing strip according to claim 6 and including a top wall converging downwardly from the upper parts of said side walls and connected with the upper end of said central web.

8. A sealing strip according to claim 6 and including a center plate of a road joint and a supporting member of rigid material arranged above and secured to said center plate,

said central web of said strip having a slot extending lengthwise and upwardly in the same for receiving said supporting member of rigid material extending upwardly into said slot and arranged above and substantially parallel to said center plate.

9. A sealing strip according to claim 8 and including means in said slot which adhesively secures said supporting member in fixed relation to said strip.

10. A sealing strip according to claim 8 and including attaching means on the lower part of said supporting member for mounting said supporting member on said center plate.

(References on following page) References Cited 3,124,047 UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,132,571

5/1939 Dewhirst 94--18.2 8/1941 Friberg 9418 X 5 504 570 12/1951 Carter 9418 656,210 12/1952 Jacobson 9418 10/1959 Frehse 20-69 8/1960 Carnes 9422 6/1962 Dailey 94 18.2 X 1/1963 Grum'belich 94 18.2 X 10 7/1963 Fujihara 94--18 a 3/1964 Graham 94-18 5/1964 Peters 94-22 FOREIGN PATENTS 4/1939 Great Britain. 1/1963 Canada.

CHARLES E. OCONNELL, Primary Examiner.

H. C. SUTHERLAND, JACOB L. NACKENOFF,

Examiners.

N. C. BYERS, Assistant Examiner. 

4. A METHOD OF POSITIONING HOLLOW ELASTOMERIC SEALING STRIPS END TO END IN A PAVEMENT GROOVE, COMPRISING THE STEPS OF SEALING SAID STRIPS TO EXCLUDE AIR THEREFROM, REMOVING AIR FROM SAID STRIPS, THEN POSITIONING THE STRIPS END TO END IN THE GROOVE WITH THEIR ENDS EXTENDING ABOVE THE SURFACE OF THE GROOVE, THEN ADMITTING AIR TO SAID STRIPS TO EXPAND THE SAME BY THEIR OWN RESILIENCE, POSITIONING SAID ENDS INTO ALINEMENT AND ABUTTING RELATION TO EACH OTHER, SEALING SAID ENDS TO EXCLUDE WATER AND OTHER FOREIGN MATERIAL, AND THEN POSITIONING SAID ENDS IN THE GROOVE. 